I think there is a huge misconception regarding professor Illes. She is a much, much better professor than the reviews on here make her out to be. In my opinion, it seems that most of the negative reviews about her are coming from individuals in Geography 5, or other lower division GE courses. And I believe it is because many of these students are either straight from high school or early on in their college careers, therefore, in my opinion, they may not be used to the teaching style of a college professor like Illes. She doesn't hold your hand every step of the way, she doesn't accept late assignments or lame excuses, and she certainly does not give out A's. But that's the way it should be in college, especially at a place like UCLA.

Illes is a great professor. She truly cares about what she is teaching, which makes the class so much more interesting and entertaining. And yes, she can be sarcastic, but those who get offended by it are taking it way too seriously. I personally like her sarcasm and wit because it keeps the class interesting. She does it to keep your attention and it works.

Also, she is really fun to talk to outside of class, especially during her office hours. She will sit and talk to you for as long as you want, and she gets so engaged in the conversation, it's just great. I've never felt more comfortable talking to a professor.

I've taken 5 classes with Illes. I have no complaints about a single one. She is an incredibly versatile professor as well. You can take a GIS class with her one quarter and a class on Wildlife Conservation the next. She is knowledgeable about so many different topics, both geography related and not. You can ask her a question about pretty much anything, and she'll have an answer.

All in all, I think all the negative reviews on here are very surprising, to me. I would not have taken 5 classes with Illes if I did not like her as a professor, and enjoy the way she teaches. She keeps class interesting, throws in a lot of anecdotal and personal stories, and you will honestly learn something of value, in my opinion. Great classes, great professor.

Geog 126 Geography of Extinction

Quite possibly one of my biggest personal wastes of money at this school taking this professor.

Not only did I basically just review things I had learned from animal encyclopedias when I was a kid, they were 'taught' by an extremely low quality instructor with in of the most caustic personalities I have ever seen on a person.

Everything in lectures is in the exams so the class is practically an excercise in mindless typing for most students. The quiet sound of the class is penetrated by the monotonous clacking of keyboards. His is what college has become.

All you need to do for the exam is memorize facts and have some kind of opinion for the essay.

I can recall community college professors that were light years ahead of Dr. Illes. What a disappointment at a school that is supposedly renown for its world class academics.

Illes is such an egomaniac that I wouldn't be surprised if half the positive reviews were written by her,

It was an interesting GIS class. I learned a lot from professor Illes. She makes my morning class fun with her sense of humor.

In order to do great in her class, you must attend every lecture because she will go over the process of the assignment. When you need help, she will be able to assist you. Sometimes there are so many students who need help that she won't be available to help everyone.

I recommend taking her class.

Professor Illes is my favorite professor at UCLA. She is very knowledgable, and more than willing to help you. Ive taken 5 of her classes and they never disappoint. Her readings are not a waste of time, her teaching style is entertaining, and her tests are fair. There are never any trick questions or anything like that.

Advice: Go to office hours! Not only is she hilarious, but she's great at reteaching for you if you don't quite understand the material.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Professor Illes is one of my favorite professors in the Geography department! She is passionate about teaching and the material, and I love her sense of humor, which is sometimes dark. Not a class for those who are sensitive, because she has strong opinions about certain topics (although she is happy to discuss opposing opinions). Attendance is not mandatory but recommended. She does not post lectures online. If you go to class and take notes of everything on the slides and the videos she shows, you will do fine. You have weekly assignments which is a one-page single spaced response paper, and they are basically easy points for the class. There is one paper about 6 pages single spaced long about an invasive species in California that you choose. It is very easy to do because you follow a certain format, and not that time consuming like you might think. Just show up to class and be engaged with the lecture and you will be a-okay. Professor Illes is funny and the class is not boring at all. The tests are a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, and a couple essays (no minimum length for those). They can be hard, so study up on the notes and make sure you know every detail mentioned on the slides and what she's said in lecture.

Professor Illes is hands down one of the coolest professors in the Geography department. She is funny and extremely passionate about this class, considering that she has done a lot of field work in Africa. For summer, there are weekly assignments which are a one page, single-spaced response paper to readings she posts (easy points). There are two field trips, one to a small zoo (Wildlife Learning Center), and a large zoo of your choice. The tests are very easy if you go to class and take good notes on the slides and things she says. I would take this class again. The topic is very depressing though, so be prepared.

I took this my first quarter at UCLA and I thought it was pretty easy. The lectures are very surface level and it was about animals and the environment, the class is about memorizing basically. The lab section was an absolute joke though, learned nothing, but easy points. I feel like I had somewhat of a unique experience though since my TA left halfway through the quarter so she lightened up on the lab assignments. So it was easy, but not the easiest. We had a final presentation on an extinct animal and a multiple choice final and midterm. Pay attention to the little reviews that she does during class before the tests, she basically gives you all the answers then. Be sure to pay attention in class and take notes and you will do well!! We also talked about current events in the beginning of every class which was interesting.

I think this class was really interesting and provided a lot of practical, base-level information on the climate crisis. I would definitely recommend that others take this, because the information in this class is very relevant and important. There isn't too much of a workload, but the online lectures can be long (4-6 lectures per week that are 30-40 minutes long). Her quizzes are kind of difficult so the written exams are usually easier (my TA was more lenient with grading, too). Labs are mandatory attendance and (usually) you can't make them up, but the labs are really easy.

Prof Illes was funny and engaging. The class was very accommodating for remote learning as it was asynchronous, minus weekly quizzes on the lecture material. There were three 3-page papers we had to write about movies in different eras of LA history. The final and midterms were solely based off lecture, multiple choice with one or two short essays and were open note. Overall the class was super interesting and made so much sense as someone who has always lived in Metro LA. This class has forever changed my view of LA and it's history. Thank you!

So let me start by saying, I took this class a GE and I really though it was gonna be like an easy GE. This class is on the tougher side and the way to do well on the tests is by attending every lecture and legit writing down everything she says. Some of the questions on the midterm and final are very specific. The labs are very easy and if you can take it with Frida, she is the best. Here is the breakdown for the class.
Labs 20%
Midterm 1: 35%
Final: 35%
Project: 10%
I got a 100% on the labs, 80%, 98% on the project, 80% on the midterm and 96% on the final. The final is also significantly easier than the midterm. The class was super interesting and if you plan on taking this class the best way to do well is to study notes. She also gave an extra credit assignment that saved everyone's grade too. Good thing to know for the Midterm it covered weeks 1-4, and week 5 was the midterm. The final covered only week 6-9 where and week 10 was the final with like 1-2 questions from the midterm. Overall the professor is very engaging and it is a good class. I recommend just study and you will do good.